2018 WA Dance Trip

On Wednesday 13 June, Twenty-five of our dance students and two teachers left to Perth on Wednesday for Darwin High School’s annual Dance Trip.
By DHS dance teacher Sarah Calver
On Day 1 of the WA Dance trip, students worked with Floeur Alders at Kings St Arts Studios followed by a fantabulous school exchange with Prendiville Catholic College in Ocean Reef with DHS and WAAPA graduate Kathryn Crocker who is now the Dance teacher at the school. The students shared warm up exercises and then showcased performance work in the amazing theatre at the school - DHS students were inspired by the exchange. A wonderful new aspect of our trip and Prendiville College has an incredible Performing Arts Centre- the resources and studios were absolutely amazing. Needless to say we all had a great first day.
Day 2 saw the students return to the Kings Street Arts Centre and work with the fun and talented Scott Easterman who has just returned from a 3.5 month European Pina Bausch scholarship. We kickstarted the session with games to ignite our creativity and sense of play, followed by how cinematography techniques can be transformed into contemporary dance.
Day 3 The group stepped into the WA Ballet (WAB) dance world - experiencing their own Ballet class, observing the company of 36 professional dancers prepare for their day with a Company class that was technically challenging and also spectacular, followed by a tour of their building in Maylands. This valuable exchange provided DHS Dance students with an opportunity to appreciate how WAB - currently in its 66th year continues to take artistic risks, pushes the boundaries and maintains its relevance in the dance sector. The WAB members from Corps de Ballet through to Principals were elite athletes and were captivating to watch.
Then it was off to Co3 WA’s contemporary dance company for a workshop. Students were encouraged to embrace full body movement and vocal exploration through a series of creative tasks and repertoire. We finished the day watching Program B of Strut Dance’s “Short Cut” program. An evening of diverse choreography by Perth’s independent dancers. The past three days have encouraged DHS Dance students to network, share ideas and gain valuable insight into the Dance industry as well as extending their own dance learning in a range of genres. As you can see they all had an amazing time!
Day 6 of the WA Dance Trip, with the students having their first day at WAAPA (Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts) - it was a dance action packed day and the DHS Dance students trained with industry professionals, learning yoga, contemporary, jazz and Bollywood.
Day 8 Students met Dame Lucette Alders (80) and Alan Alders (81) after Floeur Alders class today, and they shared stories of them dancing with Nureyev, the Russian Ballet and the Australian Ballet. Our students were in awe of these Australian Ballet icons.
Then in the afternoon students observed the 3rd year WAAPA students choreographic assessments and auditions for the student works program at the Dolphin Theatre. The works were diverse, well crafted and demonstrated the exceptional skills of the dancers, especially some of the seamless and complex (on the edge of your seat) duo informed sequences.
Graduate DHS and WAAPA students Mel Tan and Khia Emslie-O’Brien popped in to catch up with us and once again current DHS students were exposed to different aspects of the Dance industry.
WAAPA truly is a phenomenal training ground for artists and creators, and this trip is once again inspiring young Darwin dancers to aim high.
A final update from our dance students on the 2018 WA Dance trip. After nine days of performance workshops and showcases, they spent their final day working with the fantastic Kynan Hughes and then Bernadette Lewis.
Our students had the opportunity to watch the WAAPA first year Top 10 Choreographic solos being performed during their lunch break which included a performance from our very own DHS 2017 graduate Zachary Wilson who seamlessly presented a captivating solo.
Staff at WAAPA applauded the commitment and focus of the 2018 DHS dance students on the trip and many special moments shared throughout the trip will become lasting memories.
Congratulations to all our students and our incredible staff, Sarah Calver and Julia Quinn on another successful WA Dance trip.